Milton Keynes' bike share scheme is offering a half price deal on all hired cycles to help support staff returning to work

As more people return to work in Milton Keynes, the bike share operator is urging businesses to consider how their staff will commute post-lockdown.

Nextbike, which runs Santander Cycles Milton Keynes, has launched a scheme to offer businesses half-price memberships for their staff to encourage them to make a greener, healthier commute.

Recent surveys have shown that almost three quarters of UK businesses are considering their environmental credentials following the impact of the pandemic, and almost half of respondents have re-evaluated their personal sustainability habits during lockdown.*

To help a green recovery, nextbike is offering businesses the chance to purchase corporate memberships for as little as £2 per person, giving their employees access to free 30 minute cycling sessions across the city.

Samuel Coldham, nextbike UK’s business development manager, said businesses now needed to live up to their ambitions by putting cycling high on their agenda.

He said: “It’s been well-documented that pollution levels in towns and cities across the UK fell dramatically to levels not seen since the 1970s. At the same time, we saw a huge increase in people cycling. Now lockdown restrictions have been lifted, traffic on our roads has naturally started to increase again.

“We’ve got an amazing opportunity to take a step back and look at how we could all do things differently – and businesses in Milton Keynes have a huge part to play.

“Cycling saw a huge rise in popularity during lockdown, and we know companies that provide free scheme membership for their staff see multiple benefits, from an increase in staff retention and motivation, to a reduction in sickness absence. This, coupled with the fact that many people are still reluctant to use public transport, make this the perfect time to gift free cycling to employees.”

Santander Cycles MK currently has 320 standard bikes and 44 standard stations across the city.

The half-price corporate membership deal is available to businesses until December 2020.

For more information visit nextbike here